The Bakers Daughter
by nerkie1
Summary: Sometimes food is the ultimate bonding tool... though sometimes it just makes people cranky... I love cake, so should you! KankxOC, GaaraxMat, TemxShika. Mwua! Rated M for language and who knows what else!
1. Chapter 1

Kankuro - You know, if you keep writing different stories you're going to get really confused.

Me - Actually, that doesn't sound so bad! Maybe I'll combine all of the stories and every one gets to have an orgy!

K - That...actually sounds pretty awesome!

Me - You'd have to see Gaara naked...

K - Never mind.

Me - NOW INFORM THE PEEPS!

K - What the hell are you going on about now?

Me - Inform them that as much as I'd like to, I do not own you...

K - Isn't that a damn good thing...

Gaara - Are there cookies in here?

Me - Yay! Sexy red headedness!

K - Aw what about me?

Me - I like you cuz you're kind of pathetic...

K - Rude!

Me - I don't own any of them... sad day =(

**The Bakers Daughter**

"Suto! Get back here you little prick!" The young woman screamed, chasing a rather large male out of the large kitchen. Kadar shook his head at the two. He knew whenever Suto came to the bakery it always meant disaster was bound to follow. Suto slid over the large display case in front of the shop and bolted out the door, a very exasperated woman following.

"I'm going to murder you ten ways from Sunday!" She yelled down the busy street, butcher knife in hand. She stormed back into the shop. Kadar looked over at the now full grown woman he happily called daughter. He'd never forget the day he found her in the desert and brought her home. Her big purple eyes shining in the desert sun as she looked at him with her small infant smile. He had been returning from a mission in the Fire country and was travelling home to Suna when he found the small infant. A black bird tattoo graced her baby arm. He had named her Raeven, in honor of the tattoo.

"Rae, no need to be so harsh." The man behind the counter mumbled, eyeing the flustered woman. She huffed, and turned back to the door, her wild brownish red hair flying about. Again, she huffed and stormed back into the kitchen to continue her duty of baking. Kadar loved the young woman immensely and was growing very aware of the men that came into his shop simply to ogle his adopted daughter. He couldn't deny she had grown up to become a beautiful young woman. Her bright purple eyes shone with a hidden intelligence, her auburn hair was always curled and wild, making her look like the she demon she could sometimes be. Her watermelon color lips, when not pulled into a sneer, would relax into a soft pout. Kadar sighed as he heard the woman curse enough to turn milk into yogurt.

"Rae! It's not lady like to swear!" Kadar yelled as he leaned onto the counter.

"I don't give a fuck what you think is fucking lady like because maybe I don't want to be a damn lady you arrogant ass of a ninja!" She began her tirade. Kadar buried his head into his hands. The men that came into his shop may have thought her beautiful but he knew none would ever be able to handle her wild personality. He sometimes wondered if it was her genetics that caused her insane rash of temper to flare or if it was merely his upbringing.

"Kadar?" The woman spoke softly behind him. She wasn't a ninja, and in fact wasn't very fond of ninja's at all, but she moved quietly and surprised him sometimes when she was able to sneak up on him like had.

"Yes?" He turned and looked at her. She was wearing her normal black pants and a grey t shirt, all of which was covered by an apron adorned with many different stains. She managed to tame her wild locks and push them into a black bandana on her head. She bowed her head slightly.

"I apologize for my rude behavior. It's just that … well." Rae looked away, blushing.

"Suto asking me to date him, and while I appreciated the offer… I didn't want to and guess I over reacted a bit." She wouldn't meet the older mans eyes. He chuckled lightly. Somehow, even when he saw her in a fit of rage she managed to maintain her child like innocence.

"It is all right. I understand. Although, you are getting to the age where you need to start thinking about a suitor to marry." He pondered his next words carefully before looking back down on the woman, immediately regretting his words. He blinked before realizing he was in danger. Her purple iris's flared with anger and her nose twitched in a way that meant she was deciding on the best way to skin him alive. Him, a strong shinobi of the sand, was now utterly terrified of this small woman in front of him. He almost laughed at the thought, because she was a little on the small side. She was a little over 5 feet tall, but she managed to carry herself as if she was 8 feet tall. He admired her strength, but at the moment, he feared it.

Luckily the bell on the door to the shop rang, drawing the young woman out of her murderous glare. The black haired man sighed in relief and looked over to the customers. He stiffened, mostly in respect but from some shock. Before him stood a very menacing sight. The Kazekage had just entered his shop, followed by a very irritated looking blond wind user and her equally irritated looking puppeteer brother.

"Kazekage-sama, it is an honor to have your presence grace my bakery. How may I assist you?" Kadar bowed deeply.

"Fucking hell!" Rae shouted from the kitchen, followed by a loud bang. Kadar twitched slightly at the woman's impeccable timing.

"Apologies, my daughter can be foul mouthed when cooking." Kadar bowed.

"It is fine." Gaara said.

"What can I do for you today then?" Kadar asked, wracking his brain for possible reasons why they would come into his small bakery.

"As you know, my sister is currently betrothed to Shikamaru Nara of the leaf, and we need a wedding cake." Gaara said, no emotion playing in his voice.

"I am honored that you would make such a request. But, forgive my insolence, why would you choose such a small bakery as this?" Kadar asked.

Kankuro snorted and Temari glared at him.

"Its because no one wants to deal with this woman's wrath." Kankuro motioned to the now pissed off blond.

"Shut up you stupid puppet boy!" Temari smacked the hooded figure hard upside the head.

"Rae!" Kadar called out to the kitchen. He knew that if anyone could handle the wind users temper, it was Rae.

Rae did not here her adoptive father calling her. She was far too engrossed in her baking. She had a special request from one of her fathers friends to make a small chocolate cake shaped like a cat for a childs birthday. Molding the fondant on the counter, she lost herself to her sculpting. The kitchen door burst open, startling her enough for her to fall off the small stool she had seated herself on.

"Rae!" Kadar hissed at her. She wasn't quite sure why he was so flustered.

"The kazekage is here with his siblings requesting a cake. I want you to come out, looking nice of course, and sketch the kind of cake she wants. Do you understand?" The woman nodded, noting the mans serious tone. Out in the main area of the bakery, Kankuro and Temari exchanged worried glances.

"Temari, this is the last bakery in town, please do not beat any one to death here." Gaara's deep voice rumbled. Temari nodded as Kadar and his small daughter, Rae stepped out to greet the siblings.

Kankuro's breath caught in his throat for a small second. The woman standing next to the baker was gorgeous. Her violet eyes darted to each of the siblings, measuring them in her mind. Her lips pouted slightly and her redish brown hair framed her face in a wild array of curls, giving her an exotic look. Her apron did little to hide the swell of her breasts or the flare of her hips that gave her such a feminine look.

"Father tells me you wish to order a cake." The young woman spoke, her voice strong and unwavering.

"It would be an honor to serve the Kazkage and his family in such a manner. Temari-sama, I would like to start by asking you about a design, if you have one in mind." Rae tapped her pencil against the pad in her hand as Kadar motioned for them to sit at the small table in the shop.

Temari began explaining her cake design in a furious manner, her hands flying around her. Rae hardly looked up from her sketch pad as she put the blond woman's ideas on to paper. When Temari had finally finished, Rae added a few more finishing touches to her sketch before smiling gently at Temari.

"Is this similar to what you'd like?" Rae held up the sketch for Temari to view. Kankuro and Gaara immediately noticed Temari light up in delight.

"This is… beautiful. Can you actually make a cake like this?" Temari looked hopefully at the young woman. Rae couldn't resist.

"No, I just showed it to you so I could crush your hopes." The sarcastic comment slid off of her tongue before she could stop it. Kadar turned slowly to his daughter that he was now considering throwing back into the desert. Kankuro looked at the woman in shock and Gaara simply waited for Temari to do her usual yelling. However, something unexpected happened. Temari laughed, and Rae joined in.

"You're funny. Not many people speak to me like that any more." Temari said, still chuckling. Rae smiled at the kunoichi.

"Well, it's not often I actually think before I speak." Rae said. Kadar sighed, confirming her statement.

"Anyway, it should be no problem to make the cake. You can stop by anytime to see how its coming along." Rae stood as she finished speaking. Kadar nodded to her and she returned to the kitchen.

"Now, lets talk about flavors." Kadar started. Rae found herself zoning out in the kitchen. It wasn't every day she met what was practically royalty, and somehow she had managed to make a good impression. However she knew she'd pay for her earlier comment, Kadar would see to that.

After about an hour of discsussion the Kazekage and his siblings left, satisfied. Kadar stormed into the kitchen.  
"Rae!" The loud shout startled the young woman off of her stool once again. She glared at the man.  
"How could you say something like that to the Kazekage's sister?" He whined, pacing around the large kitchen.  
"Call it pay back for the whole marraige comment." Rae said, sulking on the floor. Kadar huffed at the womans comment and went back to the front of the store to watch for customers.

"Wait! What flavors and how long do i have to make this cake?" Rae shouted after the exasperated man.  
"Almond, and one month!" He shouted back. Rae looked at her sketch. One month to make such a large cake? I'll have to put in some major over time. Rae sighed at the though and began refining her sketch.

Temari had wanted a three-tiered square cake. Easy enough, although the base was pretty huge. Around the cake was a black ribbon design with the two village's symbols hanging down. Red for suna and green for the leaf. A tan flow of sand was going to be wrapped around the entire cake, ending up in a heart on top where the figurines would go. A cake big enough to feed 500... another sigh.

**Note: Wanna suggest a story for me to write? Go ahead! I'm open to most character combination's! Read it, love it, review it... or not! LOL**


	2. Chapter 2  The beginning only not

**Me - How awesome am I?**

**K - Not very?**

**Me - Then explain why I have chapters going up so fast?**

**K - Because they were already written?**

**Me - Shut up fool! You don't have any proof you hooded mongrel!**

**K - Who uses the word mongrel any more?**

**Gaara - I do**

**Me - Yay! Also, I don't own Naruto... because crazy people don't get to own imaginary characters D:  
**

-Fast Forward 2 weeks-

"Ebi I do not have time for this!" The violet eyed woman shouted. A small black hair little boy with chocolate eyes was running around the kitchen, trying to practice his ninja skills or something and getting in her way.  
"Gotcha!" She announced as she wrapped her arms around the squirming child.  
"Rae! You have a visitor!" Kadar shouted from the front.  
"Tell them to wait! I'm busy torturing a small child!" Rae yelled, headlocking the 8 year old.  
"Uncle uncle! Help!" Kadar burst in at the small childs plea.  
"Rae! Leave Ebi alone!" Kadar shouted.  
"Then tell that little brat to stay out of the kitchen when I'm working! He keeps sneaking up on my deaf side and its becoming a nuisance!" Rae yelled back. Kadar sighed and ushered the small boy out of the kitchen. A tall man walked in and Rae stopped for a minute to look him over, her memory failing to remember who he was. He was tall and wore a black tunic and black pants. A hood with cat ears covered his head and his face was painted with purple lines.  
"Can I help you with something?" She sneered. The man looked slightly taken aback by her attitude.  
What the hell is her problem? He thought, eyeing the woman warily.  
"Yeah, I'm Temari's brother, she asked me to look in on the cake while she's in Konoha." He announced annoyed at the womans arrogance.  
"Oh! She talks about her brothers all the time when she's hear but I guess I never associated it with a face." SHe giggled at her mistake. Kankuro narrowed his eyes.  
"She talks about me?" He asked.  
"Oh yeah! Whenever she comes in she chats up a storm. Its distracting sometimes... but it's kind of nice to have someone to talk to." The woman smiled at him. Kankuro snickered. Sp that's why it takes her hours to check up the stupid cake. He thought. Every time Temari went to go check up on it's progress she was gone for hours at a time. The young woman in front of him motioned for him to follow.  
"The actual cake itself has not been baked yet. Temari's been helping me make sure the almond flavored batter tastes right. We finally got that finished the othre day, and now I'm working on the icing. I'm still a little unsure on how to create the grainy texture of sand for the main decoration but I'll figure it out eventually." Rae giggled and turned to look at the man following. She was not happy with what she saw, not happy at all. The man, she hadn't caught his name, was ogling her behind in a most obvious way. Strike one. She stopped walking and waited for him to look up. He finally did after almost running into her, and caught sight of her furious face. Her features were scrunched into a snarl and her fists were clenched tightly.  
"You have 5 seconds to leave before I force you." She growled at him. Rae watched him panic for a moment and realized what Temari had told her.

Kankuro, he's the puppet master, is such a pervert! I swear he has like ten girls following him everywhere!" Temari said, exasperated at her brothers popularity. "I mean he's such an idiot! How could any woman possibly like that?" She held her hand sup in defeat.

This memory only infuriated the small woman more. Strike two.  
"Come on baby, There's no harm in lookin'." Kankuro said, a cheeky grin plastered on his smug face. Strike three. The cheeky bastard just dug his own grave and Rae was going to throw him into it. She grabbed the nearest item, a large pot, and swung, missing his head by inches.  
"Your 5 seconds are up." She sneered at him. He looked more amused than scared, something she didn't understand. Most guys ran in fright no matter how hot she was. She continued to glare at him, readying to take another swing. She swung again, but he merely vanished in a puff of smoke.  
"God damn ninjas!" She screamed, tossing the pot against the wall. She flung her apron off and stormed out to the front of the bakery where Kankuro was leaning against the counter. She seethed at him silently before turning her gaze to Kadar.  
"I'm going home." She announced before stomping out of the shop. Kadar looked at Kankuro who looked amused at his daughters antics.  
"She's a firey one huh?" Kankuro said, turning to leave. Kadar knew the puppeteers reputation and didn't like it one bit.  
"You better leave her alone. She doesn't take to kindly to guys like you." The shop owner stated calmly, not wanting to offend the puppet master more than his daughter probably already had.  
"I can tell." Kankuro chuckled and left the shop.

Kankuro lept on top of the buildings, musing about the small woman. She was lively and ... different. She was hot, he had to give her that, but her temper seemed a bit out of control and she almost reminded him of his sister. He landed on top of a building, gazing around him and spotted the young woman, her wild hair loose from the bandana and flowing loosely behind her. In the sunlight her hair shone a pretty dark red color. He admired her for a minute before jumping down into the empty street to follow her. He wasn't trying to hide his presence, but she still didn't seem to notice him.  
He was right behind her on her right side.  
"Hey." He said. She didn't respond. He stopped walking, dumbfounded. She just totally ignored him.  
"Hey!" He said more forcefully, grabbing her shoulder. She jumped, startled.  
"Ah!" She yelled and turned around, glaring at him.  
"Don't scare me like that!" She yelled at him, then turned to walk away. He trotted back up to her on her right side again and started talking. Rae glared and watched his lips move and she could hear him a little bit but she didn't understand the words. She grabbed his sleeve and forced him to stand on her left side.  
"What the hell?" He shouted at her.  
"I'm deaf on that side you moron. When you stand and talk to me on my right side I can't hear a damn thing." She spat out at him. he stared at her for a minute as they walked.  
"Oh... sorry about that." She glanced up at him, a little surprised he apologized. Rae heaved a sigh.  
"What do you want?" She rubbed her temples, already feeling the oncoming headache. He looked at her for a minute, and she could feel his gaze.

He WAS going to ask her out and he WAS going to make her go whether she actually wanted to or not but something changed his mind. Maybe it was that sad look in her eyes when she glanced up at him or the fact that they were simply walking in silence and she wasn't yelling at him that did it. He kept his mouth shut, unsure of what he actually wanted.  
She rolled her eyes when he didn't answer her question. What a moron. She thought. Kankuro was pulled out of his thoughts when he heard a woman call out to him. he smiled in the young females direction and winked. The girl trotted over and situated herself between him and Rae. He frowned slightly at that.  
"How are you doing, Kankuro-kuuuun?" She said sweetly. Kankuro saw Rae roll her eyes. She picked up her pace and turned down a small alleyway as he stood there chatting with the woman.

Rae wasn't surprised in the least, and frankly she didn't care. She was glad for the woman's interruption. The silence between her and the puppet master was making her uncomfortable. She reached her small apartment. Up until a year ago she lived with Kadar, but he insisted she get her own place, so she settled for a small apartment close to the bakery. The sun had been killing her on the walk home and when she stepped into the cool apartment she sighed in relief. She put a pot on the stove for some tea and collapsed in the bed in the next room.  
Lately, she hadn't been able to sleep well and she assumed it was from the stress at work. A small meow came from under her bed. She grinned.  
"Kuro... here kitty kitty." She called. A small black kitten jumped onto the bed.  
"You called?" A voice from her window purred. Rae jumped up, tangling herself in the sheet and falling face first onto the floor. She glared up at Kankuro.  
"Not Kami's sake, stop following me!" She untangled herself from the offending sheets and stood up, glaring at the puppeteer now crouching in her window. Another meow. Her anger instantly faded as she turned to the tiny kitten still on her bed. She picked him up and nuzzled him softly.

"Are you hungry? Your so cute!" She said, her voice a little higher than usual.

"Why thank you." Rae turned to glare at the cheeky man still crouching in her window.

"Not you!" She walked over to him and gave him a slight shove, effectively pushing him out of the window. She gasped, not really expecting him to fall out of the window, and looked to the ground.

"Worried I was hurt?" He said, standing on the side of her building, underneath the window.

"No! you god damn ninja! i was just making sure you were dead." She huffed and slammed the window shut. Kankuro chuckled a bit. The woman didn't seem to be in the habit of locking her windows so he simply opened the window back up and jumped inside.

"You're really cute when you're angry." He said, sitting at her kitchen table. She turned to him and sputtered a little bit.

"You can't just break into my home! Get out!" She pointed to the door, her face growing red.

"I didn't break in. You didn't lock your windows." Her glare intensified ten fold at his comment, but he was used to it. After living with Gaara for so long, you kind of become immune to glares. He smirked.

"So what's for lunch?" he asked. She turned back to him, grinning evilly.

"You want some lunch?" She asked, malice dripping from every word. He nodded, unaffected by her tone. She shuffled about the kitchen for about 20 minutes before coming out with two plates with rice balls. He was surprised at her sudden change of attitude. She was smiling at him, as she set the plate down in front of him. He glanced at the food suspiciously.

"What? You don't trust me?" Rae said sweetly, taking a bite of her rice ball. He glanced back at her then took a bite of his. It actually tasted pretty good, until he got to the filling. He sputtered and stuck his tongue out.

"Oh my kami thats awful! What the hell is this?" He looked over to the now red Rae. She was trying so hard to fight her laughter but couldn't hold it anymore. She belted out a laugh.

"It's cat food!" She banged her fist on the table, laughing insanely. Kankuro paled, then grew red with anger.

"You bitch!" He picked up the rice ball still on his plate and pelted her with it. Her laughter instantly stopped as the rice fell off of her face. She wiped the offending substance off, looked at his fluster face and began laughing again.

Kankuro watched her. He assumed she would get mad, or something, but she just kept laughing eventually falling out of her chair and rolling on the floor. He liked her laugh. It was light and airy. He began laughing too, unsure of what else to do. She sat back up and wiped the tears from her eyes.  
"Here." She slid her plate over to him with one rice ball still on it. He turned his nose up at it. She giggled.  
"Your loss." She picked up the rice ball and bit into it, revealing a filling of bar b que pork. A whine managed to slip its way out of Kankuro's throat. He was hungry, and still couldn't get the cat food taste out of his mouth. She giggled again.  
"You can come watch me make more so you can be sure i don't put anything else wierd in them." She smirked as she busied herself with cleaning up the rice on the floor.  
Kankuro followed her into the kitchen. She took more rice out of the steamer and began making some rice balls with pork in the center. She handed one to Kankuro amd he took a bite.  
"Wow, you're pretty good cook huh?" He asked, taking another one off of the counter.  
"It's what I enjoy. I was the one who convinced dad to open the bakery in the first place." She smiled at the memory.  
"It was a good idea. Temari's really excited." He smiled back at her. Kuro rubbed up against Rae's legs.  
"Aw! Did the mean Kankuro eat your kitty food? Yes he did! yes he did!" The woman picked up the small feline, and set it on the counter next to a bowl. She poured some cat food into it the and the little cat mewled happily.  
"Kuro?" Kankuro asked.  
"Well, for lack of a better name, I figured I'd call him black, since he is black." She petted the small kitten as it ate. Kankuro petted the small kitten too. He had a soft spot for animals, especially cats. The little kitten purred. Rae's fingers brushed Kankuro's and he recieved a small static shock.  
"Well, you should probably be going. ninja duties and all that jazz." She began forcefully shoving him out of the door.  
"Hey wait!' He stood in the door way of her apartment.  
"What?" She huffed.  
"Why don't you like ninja's?" He asked and promptly had the door slammed in his face. He jumped around to her kitchen window and unlatched it.  
"So can I come back over tomorrow for dinner?" He asked, spooking her yet again. She glared heavily at him.  
"Only if you want to eat cat food again." She snarled. He laughed and disappeared from her window.  
"Arrogant son of a bitch." She muttered under her breath.

Kankuro lept over the rooftops, grinning. When he got home he had to suffer through Temari's cooking, but did so without complaining, still in a good mood from earlier. Temari and Gaara exchanged worried glances, wondering if the puppet master finally lost his mind.  
"Kankuro, you're awfully quiet." Temari said. She had sent her brother to go check on her cake while she was gone for the day, but he hadn't returned for hours and was now suddenly silent. She wondered if something went wrong. Kankuro looked at his two siblings.  
"Yeah, just been an interesting day!" He said and excused himself from the table, locking himself in his room.  
Again, Temari and Gaara exchanged worried glances.  
"I think he's finally lost it." Temari said to Gaara. Gaara nodded his agreement.

**READ IT, LOVE IT, REVIEW IT! Fools!**

**By the way... I forgot what I was going to say! Hahahaha! I'm great!**


	3. Chapter 3

I don't own Naruto. I do own a pie...

-One week until the wedding-  
Rae was constantly at the bakery finishing up Temari's cake. She felt like she never left the darn place. She went home only to feed Kuro and very very rarely went home to sleep. Temari was in the shop almost every day now, in between her othre errands, hovering over the ragged baker. Rae considered Temari her friend, and while all she wanted to do was tell the woman to piss off she managed to hold her tongue and smile through it. Temari burst in on the Saturday that marked the one week deadline.  
"Rae! i need your help!" She demanded. Rae looked up from my batch of icing, glaring coldly at her. What more help could i possibly give her than the mental help she so desperately needed, Rae thought. Rae sighed.  
"What is it now?" She asked, going back to mixing the batch of icing.  
"I need you to be one of my bridesmaids! I was going to ask Sakura, but she bailed, saying she'd be on a mission!" Temari sat on a stool, dejected. Rae grimaced at the thought. She hated formal events, and dresses and pretty much anything social, but one look at Temari had her saying,  
"Ok, I'll do it." Temari lit up at the young woman's answer.  
"Great! i brought someone along to take your measurements for your dress." A man stepped in a Temari's command and in a flurry of measuring tape and rustling cloth the man did his job and left. Rae looked around, flustered.  
"Thanks." Temari pulled the small woman into a tight hug and left as well. To say that Rae was somewhat stunned was an understatement. The only other person to hug her was Kadar, and he had actually stopped when she turned 12. That was the age when her temper started getting out of control; so most people gave up trying to get close to her after that. Rae shook her head and went back to work. She was on schedule, but that didn't mean she could slack off.

-Morning of the wedding-  
Rae was frantically running around the kitchen, searching for the small figurines that needed to go on top of the cake. It was the last thing to do and she couldn't find them. The wedding didn't start until later in the evening, when the sun was setting and it would be cool enough outside for everyone to wander around, but Rae was still panicking. She decided to have Kadar look for the figurines while she started on sculpting a new set.  
It was several hours before Kadar would need to take the cake to the designated spot for the wedding and Rae was tired beyond belief. Kadar ended up forcefully shoving her out of the shop so she could go home to change.  
Rae made it very clear that if the cake did not make it safetly to the wedding that Kadar and Suto who volunteered to help would be missing several limbs.  
Rae managed to make it to her apartment before collapsing from exhaustion.

Kankuro and Baki arrived at the cake shop an hour before the start of the wedding. Baki was helping to escort the cake and as they were loading it onto a cart Kankuro noticed a certain wild haired woman was no where to be seen.  
"Where's Rae?" He asked casually. Suto immediately stiffened and glared at the puppet master.  
"Why do you care?" Suto snarled. Kankuro immediately picked up on the younger mans hostility.  
"Suto, that is enough!" Kadar yelled, situating the cake carefully on the cart. Kadar jumped down.  
"I made her go home to get changed and some rest." Kankuro nodded at the mans comment and disappeared, hoping over the roof tops to the womans apartment.  
He entered through the bedroom window and saw her laying sprawled out on her stomach on her bed. Kuro was curled up in the small of her back. Kuro shifted and looked at the ninja that had just entered and let out a meow. He hopped off of the bed to greet the intruder.  
"Kuro... don't eat the furniture..." The young woman sighed and shifted. Kankuro approached her.  
"Hey, you need to get up. The wedding starts in and hour." Kankuro said loudly.

Rae rolled over to glare at the man.  
"I forgot to lock my windows again huh?" She stared at the handsome man in front of her. She hadn't seen him without his hood or makeup before. He was like a whole other person. His chocolate hair spiked on top of his head and framed his strong jaw line, his onyx eyes held some sort of emotion that Rae was too drowsy to place.  
"I don't want to go. Too tired." Kankuro huffed at her statement.  
"Temari will kill you if you don't show up." Kankuro stated, pulling on the womans arm to get her out of bed. Rae grunted and stood up. She pointed to the door.  
"Out. I can change on my own." She stated, her eys still half closed.  
"Fine, but if you're not out in 20 minutes I'm coming in to make sure you didn't go back to sleep." The woman mumbled and Kankuro exited the room. Rae stepped out a few minutes later and Kankuro nearly fainted. The dress was skin tight on the woman and was light lavender that made her eyes look even brighter than normal and it cut just above the knee, showing off some of her legs that he never knew were so sexy. Her hands were on her hips.  
"What?" She asked impatiently. Kankuro shook his head.  
"Nothing. You just look really good is all." Rae sighed.  
"I hate dresses... and formal events. My hair is so wild that I can never get it to look nice for these kinds of things." Rae ran a hand through her tresses. They were soft but they looked unruly. She walked back into her room and found a white bandana to help tame her locks. She pulled her hair back but a pair of hands stopped her from putting on the bandana. She looked up. Kankuro was standing very close to her and it made her uncomfortable.  
"Don't" He whispered, his deep vioce sending shivers down her spine. She lowered her hands and set the bandana on the table, finally getting her personal space back. She glared at the smiling man.  
"Don't invade my personal space again." She pointed a finger at him and walked out of the apartment, waiting for him to follow suit so she could lock the door. He did and waited, leaning against the balcony as she locked the door. They were walking next to each other silently. Kankuro felt the need to break the awkward silence.  
"So whats up with you and that Suto guy?" He asked, watching her reaction carefully. She twitched and her fists balled up tightly.  
"That prick just wants to get into my pants. End of story." Kankuro watched her grind her teeth as she spoke. There was more to the story, but he didn't want her to fly off the handle so he didn't press the matter.

The two arrived at the wedding just in time. Rae immediately took over directing Kadar and Suto on where to put the cake and which way it should face. Many people from the village were in attendance and Kankuro quickly noted that a large crowd of young men had ensnared the violet eyed woman.

"Rae, Gaara would like to speak with you." Kankuro cut through the crowd and locked arms with the flustered girl. As soon as they were out of the crowd she unhooked her arm from his.

"You really don't like people touching you huh?" He asked as they walked through a fairly deserted building. Rae blushed slightly.

"I don't like YOU touching me." Rae said. And it was partially the truth. The small brush of his hand several weeks ago had actually felt good, and when he grasped her hands in her apartment they felt like they had caught on fire. She didn't want those strange, unwelcome feelings, and especially not from the likes of him. Kankuro didn't say anything to her comment, but his face said it all. He looked a little angry and disappointed. Kankuro ushered the young woman into Gaara's office. Rae bowed.

"It is an honor Kazekage-sama." The young leader held up a hand.

"Call me Gaara. Temari practically considers you family." He said, his deep voice sending chills all over her skin.

"It is still an honor. I hope that everything about the cake is satisfactory." Rae nodded slightly, instead of bowing.

"Are you kidding me? From the way she's been going on about it, you'd think she was marrying the cake!" Kankuro said, throwing his hands up in exasperation. Rae giggled.

"Well thank you." She smiled up at Kankuro and he smiled back. Rae enjoyed this happy Kankuro to the angry one in the hall.

The wedding went off without a hitch. Even though Rae was highly uncomfortable with standing up front, it was still very fun. Rae was assisting her father in passing out cake when she stumbled upon a rowdy table.

"Good evening!" She said, a smile playing on her lips. A blonde man with bright blue eyes smiled up at her.

"Hey! You're the one that made the cake right? Temari's been talking about you!" He all but yelled. Rae nodded.

"I'm Naruto! This is Neji, Choji, Shino and Kiba! We're from Konoha!" Again with the loud voice. Rae was getting a horrible headache, but managed through it.

"It is a pleasure to meet you. If you'll excuse me." Rae bowed and made her way back to the cake to serve more slices.

A slow song began to play and the dance floor emptied for Temari and Shikamaru to take their dance. Kankuro appeared behind Rae.

"Temari said she wants Gaara and myself to dance the next song with her. I am without a partner and was wondering if you'd dance with me." Kankuro purred smoothly into her ear, once again invading her personal space. She turned and gave him a huge smile.

"Nope!" She said, and turned back to her cutting.

"Please?" He asked.

"No. I don't know how to dance and I'm sure you can find a much prettier girl to dance with." She huffed and walked away, handing out more cake. Kankuro stood there stunned. How could he find anyone more beautiful than she was? Didn't she realize how gorgeous she was? Kankuro thought. He was almost angry at her for her ignorance.

Kankuro knew of only one way to get her dance with him. After Temari finished her dance, he approached her and murmured something into her ear. She stormed off of the now crowded dance floor and over to Rae. She roughly pulled the young woman to the side.

"Dance with Kankuro." She said in a low, threatening tone.

"What?" Rae whispered back.

"Kankuro will not dance unless its with you, and Gaara won't dance unless Kankuro is dancing." She crossed her arms and glared at the woman. Rae looked around in a panic, trying to find a way out of this.

"Temari, look you brother is just trying to get into my pants and I don't want to give him the wrong impression and…" Temari sushed the girl with her fingers.

"I don't know what you've done to my brother but he hasn't brought some slutty ass girl home since you two met and honestly I find that a miracle. Just dance with him." Temari crossed her arms and gave her that don't-argue-with-me look. Rae sighed in defeat.

"Fine." Temari looked over joyed and dragged her to the dance floor. She motion for Gaara to come over. Gaara had Matsuri in tow, and Kankuro followed behind them, a sly look on his face. Rae glared at the brown haired borther. A slow song started playing and the two just stood there looking at each other, earning Rae a sharp jab in the ribs from the glaring blond. Rae sighed and took Kankuro's hand. He wrapped an arm around her waist and started to pull her closer.

"Arms length, pervert." She growled at him, a smile plastered on her face.

"Prude." He smiled down at her. The slow music and repetitive steps of the dance began to lull the wild woman into the sleep she desperately needed. Her eyes started closing, and she was having a hard time focusing on her steps. As she pressed up against something soft yet firm, she thought herself in bed and fell deeper into dream land. Her bed rumbled and her eyes flew open. It took her a minute to realize she was still dancing, but was pressed tightly against Kankuro, her cheek resting on his firm chest.

"Don't worry, nobody noticed that you fell asleep. I moved your feet with my chakra strings." Rae looked up at him and he winked. The song stopped and Kankuro stopped as well. We continued to stay pressed together, my mind jumbled by the warmth radiating from his chest, it was beginning to lull me back to sleep.

"Stay awake long enough to let me get you out of here and I'll take you home, ok?" Kankuro started leading her off of the dance floor by her hand. It took a little longer to get away from the wedding as they were held up by well-wishers and questions about the cake.

"Kankur…o." Just as they left the crowded area Rae was about to say something but ended up passing out.

"Woah, holy crap." Kankuro caught the small woman just before she hit the ground. He swept her up bridal style and leapt onto the rooftops, taking her home swiftly, not wanting her to wake up and start screaming her head off. He entered in through the bedroom window once again and set her gently on her bed, covering her with the thin sheets. Kuro jumped onto the bed and rubbed against Kankuro, purring lightly.

"Hey Kuro." He pet the cat and looked down on the woman sleeping peacefully. Kankuro walked around house and locked the windows, wondering why she didn't ever lock them in the first place. He had assumed that after his first break in, she'd start locking them, but she did seem a little flighty sometimes. He climbed back out of her bedroom window and using his chakra strings locked that one as well. He arrived back at the wedding and continued along as if nothing had happened. Temari approached him.

"Where have you been and where is Rae?" She glared at him accusingly.

"She was tired. I took her home." He said, not appreciating her glare.

"Is that ALL you did?" She snarled at him.

"Yes! I wouldn't take advantage of her like that!" Kankuro said, now thoroughly pissed off. Temari's face relaxed into a knowing gaze.

"Kankuro, what is that girl to you?" Kankuro nearly spit out his drink.

"Look, Temari, just because you're all in love doesn't mean you need start butting it to everyone else's business. If anything, you should be helping Gaara." Kankuro said, not looking at his older sister.

"At least Gaara hasn't slept with almost every woman in Suna. It's self destructive behavior and it's about time you stop!" She huffed and walked back to her husband, grinning happily. Kankuro thought about her comments. He hadn't slept with EVERYONE… at least not the ugly ones. He started at his own thoughts. God, he really was shallow and arrogant. But at the same time, when he looked at Rae he didn't just think about how hot her body was. He just wanted to stare into her eyes and try to define that look in her eyes. He wanted to take her pain into himself and never let her feel it again.

Kankuro sighed and left the thinning wedding party.

"Hey Kankuro!" Kiba ran over, followed by Naruto and his friends.

"I can't believe you and Shikamaru are brothers now!" Kiba laughed, giving the puppet user a hard pat on the back.

"Hey and did you see that hot waitress? Temari was right! She's awesome!" Naruto said.

"Hey, maybe I can be the next person in Konoha to get married to a Suna lady! I wouldn't mind travelling three days for that wild looking beauty." Kiba and Naruto laughed at Kiba's comment.

Kankuro balled his fists tightly, angered that they were talking about her like an object, even though he had done so himself about many women he met.

"I'm feeling really tired you guys. I'll see ya tomorrow." He excused himself.

"Yeah, we'll be in town for like a week so we'll catch ya later!" Naruto said.


	4. The start of something old?

**I don't own naruto...BUT I do own a cute cat...  
**

However peaceful Rae may have looked while sleeping, she was anything but. Her mind was a chaotic whirlwind of voices. She floated in darkness, only hearing, only seeing what was allowed to her.

"Why have you forgotten us? Why have you forgotten?" The voices screeched over and over, until all too suddenly everything became deafeningly silent.

**WHY?** A giant voice boomed. Rae simply floated as a creature made itself known to the un-phased woman.

"I thought I was done with this." She murmured.

**You have forgotten! THEY made you forget us! It is their fault! Those that call themselves warriors. They are afraid. They know. They cannot see what lies beyond their world.**

"I will ask you only once to leave." Rae said quietly.

**We can never leave. We are you. But you have forgotten. Soon… soon you will no longer be allowed to forget.**

"ENOUGH!" Her shout echoed in her own mind. A burning sensation raced through the woman's small frame and she sat upright in bed, gasping for air and clutching the now searing tattoo on her arm.

"Kadar!" She gasped before tearing out of her apartment, not even bothering to change.

Kadar's house was only a few blocks away and she made it in record time.

"Kadar!" Her tiny voice squeaked out as she banged once on the door before crumpling on the door step. Kadar flung the door open and looked down on the distraught woman glaring up at him.

"Rae! What's wrong?" He asked, helping her stand and bringing the girl into his house.

"It hurts." She hissed out, digging her nails deep into the flesh of her arm where the tattoo resided.

"Stop it. You'll only make the pain worse." Kadar murmured, trying to soothe the fiery woman now sitting on his couch. Rae cried out in agony and clutched her arm tighter. The man leapt to his bathroom for some medicine and when he returned two seconds later he found the woman calm and already wrapping gauze around the deep wounds she had created in her arm.

"Of course, as soon as I go get you medicine, you're fine." He grumbled out. His daughter looked at him with weary eyes.

"It is getting worse Kadar. I know you can feel it and I know it scares you. Kadar… what happens when I cannot contain it? I will be killed, won't I?" Those purple eyes that gazed up at him clouded with confusion and hurt.

"I was afraid of this. Rae, I cannot help you with this. You know that, but you have made friends with the Kazekage, so maybe he would be lenient on you, if the need ever arises." Kadar said softly.

"God damned ninjas! They do nothing but fear what is unknown, why would I ask for their help?" She shouted, her voice shaking Kadar to his core.

"Rae. I am a ninja, a shinobi of this village and I am telling you that not all are like the ones from…" Kadar's sentence was cut short by the burning violet glare he received. He should have known better than to speak of such things. There were some lines that Kadar knew were never to be crossed, and he had almost crossed one.

"Raeven, you know what my point is. Do not let this anger consume you. Please, for me." The now weary man sighed and pulled his equally weary daughter into a hug, an action he suddenly realized he had not done in some time. The wild woman relaxed ever so slightly in his arms.

"Can I stay here tonight?" Rae asked in a soft voice.

"Of course. You always have a room here." He whispered. They separated and said their goodnights. Rae entered her old room, which contained a desk and a bed, and flopped most ungracefully onto the dusty sheets. As soon as her eyes closed she was asleep, this time, with no interruptions.

"Kadar, I'm heading out now!" Rae called up to the still sleeping man. She heard a muffled reply and was out the door just as dawn was breaking. Rae always got to the bakery before Kadar to start the day's cooking and she thoroughly enjoyed her alone time. It gave her plenty of time to think, and she now had a lot to think about.

Rae was mindlessly stirring some ingredients when a hand grabbed her shoulder, causing her to drop the bowl she was holding. Rae whipped around to glare at Kadar, but was instead met with deep onyx eyes and purple face paint.

"Hey." Kankuro said, smiling.

"We're closed." Rae muttered, picking the cracked bowl off of the floor. Kankuro frowned at her greeting, or lack there of. Of course, when it came to such a wild woman he never truly expected a pleasant greeting but how hard was a nice 'hello' once in a while? He watched in silent anger as Rae went about cleaning the mess on the floor.

"I came to see how you were. You seemed pretty out of it last night." Kankuro said, attempting to get some conversation out of the violent girl.

"I'm fine." She huffed, not even sparing him a passing glance. Now Kankuro was beginning to suspect something really WAS wrong. She wasn't yelling or threatening him or attempting to force him out of the shop and that disturbed him on a deeper level.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He asked, concern laced in his words.

"No." Was her curt reply.

"Are you sure?"

"Why are you here?" She finally turned to him, her face pulled into an angry scowl.

"My business with Temari is finished, you no longer have any need to be here." Her scowl remained, wrinkling the delicate features on her pale face. Kankuro was some what surprised by the ignorance the young woman possessed.

"I'm not here for business, I just liked hanging out with you." He stated, leaning against the counter, his hands in his pockets. Re huffed at his comment.

"I've no desire to hang out with a ninja. Please leave." Her sharp reply broke Kankuro's patience.

"What is your problem? You act like every ninja you meet is a plague upon the earth! Do you feel like that with Kadar? Do hate Gaara like that? Or do I get some 'special' treatment?" Kankuro spat out. His words hit a chord within her but hell if she'd let him see that.

"Leave." She stated firmly.

"No! I want some god damned answers!" His anger rose.

"Leave!" A booming voice came from the kitchens front doorway. Kadar stood there, glaring coldly at the puppet master.

"Fine! Sorry I fucking gave a damn." Kankuro bit out hatefully before disappearing from the kitchen. Kankuro appeared back in his room and threw his scrolls off his back. He paced his room, muttering curse words under his breath. He didn't understand why she was acting like she was. He had no clue why she hated him as much as she did, but he did know whom he could turn to, to ask. Kankuro knew he'd pretty much be throwing himself under a bus (_Kankuro: What the hell is a bus? Me: SHUT UP!_) with this one, but he gathered his courage, threw away his pride and marched over to Temari's new apartment a few blocks away, hoping he wouldn't interrupt the newly wed couple.

"Rae…" Kadar said.

"Don't start with me Kadar." She glared at the older man.

"He LIKES you Rae. I know you have a lot of shit to deal with, but maybe if you didn't spend so much time alone and with other actual human beings, you wouldn't dwell on stuff like that, and move on." Kadar wasn't often wise, but this was one of the rare times that his words really cut through her thick skin.

"I'm going out." She yelled as she ran out the door. Kadar smiled at his daughter.

Kankuro was walking down the street on his way to Temari's apartment when he spotted a frazzled looking young woman running down the street.

"Kankuro!" She yelled and stopped a few feet from him. To say he was startled, was probably an understatement. He looked at the violet eyed woman with utter shock.

"Kankuro, I'm sorry okay? I don't do so well with other people and I had a bad experience with ninja's and its just hard for me to…to trust." She breathed out, her breath coming in short gasps.

"What happened?" He asked, unsure of what else to say.

"W-what?" Rae was stunned that he would be so bold.

"I want to know what happened."

"No."

"If you want me to believe you're sorry, you'll tell me." Kankuro said, his stern tone leaving no room for argument.

"C-can we not talk about this here?" Kankuro looked at her in confusion. Rae was not shy and he couldn't believe she would stutter over something like this.

"Yeah. Your place?" He offered, wondering if maybe she'd want to go somewhere else.

"Yeah." They walked silently. Actually, they were both silent until they were seated at Rae's kitchen table.

"So will you…" Kankuro began, but was interrupted.

"I was raped on a mission with Kadar by some ninja on his team. That's why I don't like ninja, that's why Kadar is no longer an active ninja, no I don't want to talk about and we will never mention this again." She spat out hurriedly. Kankuro sat there and stared at her as she found the table very interesting. His mouth opened and closed several times before he finally found his voice again.

"H-how… why? Who? Why didn't you report it!" He finally ended up yelling at her. She flinched at his raised voice.

"I'm not talking about this." She muttered, glaring at him. Kankuro stood and grabbed Rae by her arm.

"Fuck!" She screamed as he grabbed her where he tattoo and where several deep gashes were now located. Kankuro let go and looked at her with a careful gaze.

"What else are you hiding?" He accused.

"Just forget it." Rae growled out at him.

"No!" Kankuro yelled and grabbed her by the shoulders. At first, she was half expecting him to slam her against something but instead he pulled her into a tight hug, almost crushing her with his steel grip.

"Kankuro. What are you…" She was silenced quickly by the light kiss he placed on her lips. It was soft but brief, his lips just barely grazing her. She froze, her brain unable to form any type of coherent thought.

"I'm sorry. I just… I don't know. I'm sorry." He cupped her face in his hands and stared into her bright violet eyes, her half lidded gaze causing heat to swell in his stomach.

He was about to pull her back into a hug, but she stepped back from him, her eyes widening.

She couldn't comprehend anything that had just happened. She went over the events her brain. They argued, she apologized, she told him she was raped and when she expected him to push her away and leave, he pulled her to him and kissed her. Rae's mind was reeling. A loud banging on the door startled both of them.

"Kankuro! Kankuro are you in there?" It was Temari banging on Rae;s apartment door.

"What?" Kankuro shouted, irritated.

"Gaara needs to see you!" She yelled. Kankuro let out a frustrated sigh.

"Damn it." He muttered before turning to leave, but not before running a large hand through Rae's soft auburn locks.

"I've wanted to do that since I met you. It's softer than it looks… you shouldn't conceal such pretty hair with those bandana's." He said, exiting through her front door. Rae stood there, stunned.

-MWUAH! I no longer have pre-written chapters (sad day!) but hopefully I'll ba able to crank out another chapter soon... possibly...maybe...we'll see!


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